It seems Apple has plans to expand its business to wearable technology. Aside from the confirmed arrival of the Apple Watch due out this 2015, recent patents filed by the Cupertino-based tech firm reveal plans to expand its camera products.
Apple's new patents involves a camera system that can be mounted, much like the GoPro technology, while being controlled by a phone or watch.
According to TechCrunch, "Apple has been awarded a patent by the USPTO based on IP it acquired from Kodak in a deal from 2013, which details a remote digital camera system that can be controlled from a smartwatch (Apple Watch fantasists should note that this patent was originally created in 2012). The Apple patent specifically seeks to address flaws identified in the design of competitors including the GoPro HD Hero2 cameras, which it claims are susceptible to movement based on wind resistance that affects final image output."
CNN notes that the patent specifically mentions the weakness of the GoPro System. The site claims that the investors of the popular wearable camera are worrying Apple may be developing equipment that will send GoPro to the stone-age.
Apple's new patents outline its supposed new camera system will be able to make both sound and video recordings underwater. As a result, the shares of GoPro have taken a dip as Apple continues to make waves in the camera market. Cult of Mac also recalled how Apple has beaten Nikon to become the world's second most popular camera.
GoPro is the world leader in sports cameras with shares soaring 55% in June but has since dropped. Following Apple's patents, GoPro has dropped another 10% in the stock market.
It should be noted that Apple files thousands of patents a year with a number of the products and tech never reaching the market. TechCrunch does write that based on the technology and history of Apple, the site analyzed that such "An action camera, which appears to double as a rugged point-and-shoot, seems about as likely a product to come out of Apple as a head-mounted Google Glass competitor in the near future - which is to say it isn't likely at all."
Apple Watch
While the fate of a camera-system remains undetermined, the wrist-watch involved that would be key in the remote-controlled camera system will hit the market. It was already confirmed by Apple that the Apple Watch will arrive in the market sometime in 2015.
Stay tuned for more.